For years, we've been watching the growth and evolution of all-terrain camper vans, expedition buses and off-road trailers built to haul all means of outdoor recreational gear to distant destinations. But if you really want to get out there — "thousands of miles offshore" out there — you'll need to leave the 4x4 camper outside the marina and proceed via explorer yacht. And if you want that explorer yacht loaded with toys for more closely examining land, air and sea, the new Xventure should prove immediately appealing.
The recently-unveiled concept yacht from Dutch shipyard Heesen Yachts and British studio Winch Design, the Xventure can journey to little-seen stretches of sea and coast, serving as a base camp for everything from scuba diving, to heli-skiing, to submarining.
The last time we saw the term "Xventure," it was the Schutt Xventure "severe-duty trailer," incidentally something of a go-anywhere toy hauler itself. The Heesen Xventure was born with a similar goal of off-grid, gear-supported exploration, albeit in a package that's about 15 times as long as Schutt's XV2 trailer ... and infinitely more comfy and luxurious.
The mission behind the Heesen/Winch collaboration was to "create the ultimate explorer yacht, conceived to take adventurous owners off the beaten path in seven-star comfort." Since only exterior renderings have been released, we can't say for sure that they nailed the "seven-star" comfort bit, but they definitely got the adventurous explorer part right.
In addition to offering up to 5,000 miles (8,050 km) of range on its own, the 187-foot (57-m) Xventure allows those onboard to continue the journey with smaller, more scalpel-like explorative machines, such as an Airbus H135 helicopter perched on the helipad, a combination of 37-foot (11.4-m) Intrepid 375 Sports fishing boat and 28-foot (8.6-m) Beachlander tender tucked away in the multi-compartment tender garage, and a personal submarine stowed in its own nook.
There's also room for PWCs, fishing tackle, scuba diving equipment and other miscellaneous gear, as well as a 15-foot (4.5-m) crew tender. So enjoy jet skiing under tropical skies one week before motoring off the next to heli-ski empty, high-mountain powder fields — a life so good, a novelist couldn't embellish it.
What little we know about life on board the 1,280-GT Xventure is that there are crystal-clear views of the sea and surrounds everywhere the head turns, thanks to an extensive array of floor-to-ceiling windows. There's also a glass-ceilinged winter garden on the observation deck and a swimming pool.
The Xventure is designed with a fast displacement hull, and could be equipped with a hybrid propulsion system for those looking to leave a little less environmental carnage in their wakes. The superyacht concept debuted at the recent Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, and given that explorer yachts have been quite popular of late, we won't be surprised to read about someone commissioning a build, much the way last year's Heesen/Winch-designed Project Avanti found an eager client last month.
The partners imagine it appealing to next-generation yacht enthusiasts: young, adventurous billionaires who want to venture off the grid for months at a clip, bringing plenty of equipment to fully immerse themselves in their destinations.
Source: Heesen
